My Subculture
India has one of the
world’s most oldest and diverse cultures. Spanning an area of 1.3 million miles
squared and a population of 1.4 billion, Indian culture is not devoid of variety
in norms, values, traditions and customs. The Indian society is divided into a
number of different sects that follow cultures of their own kind. The subculture that I identify with is called
the Gujarati culture. The subculture is named so since the people following
this subculture belong to the region of Gujarat, a western state in India. Gujarat
derives its name from Gujara, a clan
of White Huns that conquered the territory in the early centuries of human
history.
Gujarat is characteristically
identified with the color and vibrancy of its costumes, foods and festivals.
The traditional Gujarati costume for women is called “chaniya choli”. This
costume incorporates a flared, lively skirt adorned with mirrors and a short
chest-length blouse that is covered with a “dupatta”
or multi-coloured rectangular piece of cloth. Men wear dhotis (long piece of cloth that is draped around the waist and
legs) and kurtas (long colored
shirts). However, with the embracement of western culture and globalization,
these dresses have been restricted to being worn only during celebrations and
festivals, such as Navratri, a nine
day festival, celebrated by traditionally dancing using bamboo sticks (Dandiya) or by clapping to special music
(Garba). Gujaratis also celebrate
other Indian festivals like Diwali (festival
of lights) and Holi (festival of
colors). Makar Sankranti is a characteristic Gujarati festival celebrated in
January. The festival marks the end of the winter solstice and beginning of
warmer days. The festival is celebrated by flying beautiful kites in the sky
and sharing sweets made from jiggery and sesame seeds. Gujarat is a widely
known subculture that encompasses a variety of cultural elements in a much
personified way which establishes its presence as a distinct subculture of
India.
Food is one of the
famously known material elements of the Gujarati subculture. A typical meal
includes bread made from wheat or millets eaten with curries made from
vegetables. The diet is solely vegetarian and certain sects like Jain Gujaratis
also avoid onion and garlic. Gujarati food is primarily sweet and that is also
why Gujaratis are considered to be very sweet people. A famous dish in Gujarat
is the Thali which is an entire plate
containing a variety of traditional foodstuffs. Gujaratis are self-declared foodies
and some popular food items include Fafda-Jalebi
(Swirled sweets dipped in sugar syrup with gram flour biscuits), dhokla, (small, yellow, gram flour cakes), Handvo (larger gram flour cakes made
using vegetables), thepla (bread made
from wheat flour and vegetables) and many such interesting and delicious
dishes. Gujarati food is adored all over India for its taste, flavor and
splendor.
Values and norms form
an important part of the non-material Gujarati subculture. Gujaratis’
association with the business community is a common norm. Entrepreneurship is
more or less a cultural commitment. Some of the richest business tycoons are
predominantly Gujarati. The richest Asian, Mukesh Ambani, is the owner of the
Reliance Industries and also a Gujarati. This aspect is seen even in my family.
My grandfather and his brother both owned their own industries which were
succeeded by their sons. Globalization and cultural diffusion have pushed
entrepreneurship for Gujaratis beyond state and national borders. Many
Gujaratis are proud motel-owners in the US and their populations in United
States, especially New Jersey, are increasing by the day. Gujaratis who own
businesses are looked upon favourably by the rest of the society and are often
considered promising grooms for marriages. Their involvement in
entrepreneurship is thus positively sanctioned.
Gujarat is one of India’s dry states. This
means that manufacture and purchase of alcohol is banned in the state. This law
is in accordance with a legislation made under the Bombay Prohibition Act of
1960, which illegalised production and sale of liquor. Gujarat is the only
Indian state to punish production and sale of homemade liquor with a death
penalty, an example of a legally-enforced sanction. This law was executed to
honor the father of the nation and one of India’s greatest freedom fighters,
Mahatma Gandhi, who was born and raised in Gujarat. Gandhi advocated the
prohibition of alcohol. Unfortunately, this law has also promoted illegal
manufacture and sale of alcohol. “Folder” is a slang term, more technically
called an argot, which refers to bootleggers illegally selling alcohol.
Some other informal
norms include same-caste marriages. Gujaratis prefer arranged marriages but
outside their clans. They also follow several North-Indian patterns of marriage
ceremonies and family structure. Gujaratis are advocates of joint families and
often live with members from two or three generations. Funeral ceremonies are
also a part of the culture. Gujarati Hindus cremate the dead while Gujarati
Muslims bury them. Gender roles are very decided in conventional families. The
men are aspiring businessmen and women are caring housewives.
Gujaratis are broad-minded
people and are relatively more accepting of modern traditions than other
sub-cultures in India. People who are acquainted with Gujaratis often describe
them as helpful, friendly, fun-loving, social and good natured. These personality
traits emerge from their desire to help others. Gujaratis prioritize
relationships in their life. Spending time with family and regularly
participating in family functions are certain societal notions of appropriate
behaviour. A Gujarati will neither forget to invite a guest for a party nor
attend a celebration. In fact, Gujaratis that refrain from connecting with their
fellow kinsmen are frowned upon. They stress on the importance of collectivism
over individualism in society. Engagement in society is a core value of every
Gujarati.
Another fundamental
attribute of this subculture is the value for money. Gujaratis hold money in
high regard. Being entrepreneurs, some Gujaratis often establish their own
start-ups. They work hard to earn their own buck and therefore the entire
subculture collectively accepts the importance of money in their lives. They
are not stingy, but they are street-smart and will not let stupid decisions
affect their monetary status.
India is a
manifestation of the phrase –“Unity in Diversity”. The values of maintaining
unification of a variety of cultures, is sustained even in Gujarat. Multiple
military conquests, extensive invasive history as well as migrations from
different part of the country have led to a practice of enculturation in
Gujarat. Enculturation is the process of adapting to new characteristics or
norms of different cultures and signifies culture relativism in this
subculture. Over the years, Gujarat has embraced an amalgamation of different
religions including Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Islam. As a
result, religious tolerance has become an inherently instilled value in the
people. Embracing other cultures without ignoring their contexts and individual
norms and values is a characteristic of the Gujarati subculture.
Spirituality is
considered a major moral and ethical value in Indian society. Gujarati
subculture also embraces this aspect of the broader Indian culture. Hinduism in
particular is said to have 33 million Gods. Hindus in Gujarat specifically
worship Lord Krishna and his various forms. Lord Krishna is one of the
incarnations of the Hindu God Lord Vishnu. Lord Krishna is traditionally
represented as the blue-skinned cowherd playing his flute. Folklore states that
after Lord Krishna killed his evil maternal uncle Kansa, he established the
Golden City of Dwarka in Gujarat, a prosperous kingdom that was sunk into the
sea after Lord Krishna’s death. His life in Gujarat is one of the main causes
for the worship of Krishna.
Gujarati’s devotion to
Lord Krishna is also reflected in their language. They greet each other by
saying “Jai Shree Krishna” which
means, glory be to Lord Krishna. Gujarati is popularly identified with the
iconic word “Che” at the end of all their sentences.
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language and uses a variant of the Devanagari
script. The specific letters symbolise different sounds and are examples of
non-verbal symbols. Unlike English, Gujarati associates gender even with
material objects. Many Gujaratis are unable to distinguish the “sh” and “s”
sounds and are commonly teased for their ascent, which is often seen even in
their use of other languages. Names like Hitesh and Jignesh, are very common first
names while and Patel is an extremely common last name. People with such names are
often inherently assumed to be a Gujarati.
Non-verbal symbols also
hold a lot of importance in communication and delcaration of status. Marriage
is associated with symbols such as Mangalsutra
(necklace of golden and black beads) or sindoor
(red dot on forehead). Gujarat is
also known for its art and handiwork. Patola,
a silk sari, is a cultural status
symbol associated with affluence. Hugging and greeting with both palms touching
each other is common when Gujaratis meet. Cows are one of the sacred symbols of
the Gujarati culture and Gujarat has very strict laws concerning the killing of
cows. Cows are considered mothers and particularly worshipped due to their
association with Lord Krishna. The cow is also regarded as a symbol of
non-violence, a value perpetuated by Mahatma Gandhi.
The subculture of
Gujarat has certain aspects that remain intact even today. However, as history
has progressed, traditional Gujaratis have also been influenced by other
subcultures that settled in the state. Diffusion has been a common cause of
changes in the subculture caused by military conquests by Kings of the era, as
well as greater opportunities to develop and prosper outside the state. I
myself was brought up in Maharashtra, a Marathi-speaking state and have strayed
away from the original traditions of my subculture. My grandparents and
great-grandparents have passed on the anecdotes from our ancestral history to
my family. In the 16th and 17th century, expansion of
kingdoms and conquering nearing territories was a common occurrence. In one
such conquest, a Maharashtrian king invited members of the Gujarati subculture
to establish their businesses in Maharashtra and help Maharashtra prosper. During that time, several hundred years ago,
my ancestral family moved from Gujarat to Maharashtra. The migration to another
state slowly incorporated changes into our own customs and traditions. A couple
generations before me have lost touch with the original language and the
Gujarati they speak is heavily influenced by Marathi (the language spoken in
Maharashtra). Very few people in our extended family can actually read the
script. Neither can I nor can my parents speak the original Gujarati anymore.
We don’t even speak the Marathi-influenced Gujarati. Our conversations are
strictly conducted in Marathi or English. Our food has also shifted to
Maharashtrian diets. Gujarati foods are made but only on certain occasions. While
we celebrate some of the Gujarati festivals, a few of them are not celebrated
with as much pomp and show as they are celebrated in Gujarat. We only know the
name of the city our ancestral family belonged to but no one in the entire
sub-caste of our subculture lives there anymore. With time, the sect of the
subculture that we belonged to has been heavily influenced and undergone
drastic changes.
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