This paper analyzes the impact of globalization on the religion, culture, and
identity of Hindus in India. It describes how Hinduism, over epochs, adapted
to outside influences and retained its unique character, but the sudden onslaught of globalization in our era is threatening its core values, traditions, and beliefs. As a consequence, religion in India is being disestablished and cultural identities are being dissolved. One major sign of decline is that Hindus, rather than actively expressing their traditional customs and beliefs, are now experiencing religion passively and vicariously through the virtual world of television and the Internet. What this recent development means for the cultural future of India is unclear, but it is to be hoped that Hinduism will rejuvenate itself through returning to its historic roots and counteracting the globalizing forces associated with cultural disintegration and homogenization. ABSTRACT Asia Journal of Global Studies Vol 4, No 2 (2010-11), 93-102 *The material presented by the authors does not necessarily portray the viewpoint of the editors and the management of the Asia Journal of Global Studies (AJGS). Asia Journal of Global Studies, c/o The Asia Association for Global Studies 143-11 Hirato-Ooaza, Hanno-shi, Saitama-ken 357-0211 JAPAN C Globalization, Hinduism, and Cultural Change in India Asia Association for Global Studies RELIGION, CULTURE, AND TECHNOLOGY Considering the span of human existence, man's contact with machines has been brief. The first ancestors of humans probably lived about two to three million years ago, and the evolution from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens sapiens took hundreds of thousands of years. Agriculture emerged only around 9,000 BCE and writing about 5,500 years ago. The modern technological age began in Western Europe only about 500 years ago. Great advances in technology and science led to the Industrial Revolution in Britain in the eighteenth century. Continued advancements in science and technology produced more and more inventions; the light bulb, the first major electric innovation, was invented in 1879; the first generation of electronic computers appeared in 1947, and in 1969 the ARPANET, the forerunner of the Internet, was born. The Internet came to be used as a tool for mass communication only within the last 20 years or so. In India, the co-existence of man and machine has been even briefer than in the West, spanning only 60 to 70 years. Contemporary globalization, as we shall see, has also been closely associated with this relationship. To understand what globalization means for India, it is important to first define the terms culture and technology. Culture is derived from the Latin cultura meaning "to cultivate." It means something cultivated or ripened as opposed to raw or crude. In a narrower sense, culture refers to a sophisticated outlook borne of education and enlightenment (e.g., the fine arts) ("Culture," Oxford English Dictionary [OED], 1989, pp. 1-8). In anthropology and sociology, culture generally refers to a way of life, or the ideas and habits that members VOL 4, No 2. 2010-11.PRINT ISSN 1884-0337, ONLINE ISSN 1884-0264 Anita Bhela University of Delhi, India 94 Asia Journal of Global Studies Anita Bhela of a community transmit from generation to generation. In this sense, culture, as Tylor (1871) defined it more than a century ago, "is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, laws, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of a society" (p. 1). Culture by this definition, which will be used herein, represents the total heritage of a society. Technology is derived from the Greek word techne, meaning "art" or "craft" ("Technology," OED, 1989, pp. 1-3). The word was associated in the English-speaking world with its Greek definition until the seventeenth century, when it came to refer to the study of the arts. By the 1860s, its meaning began shifting to its modern usage. The present meaning of the word emerged around the second half of the twentieth century. Today, technology not only refers to machines and hardware, but also systems and processes, methods, and techniques ("Technology," OED, 2010, pp. 1-3). Technology and culture share a complex relationship. Man's needs, desires and aspirations shape technology, while technology shapes man's social context. The effects of technology can be both intended and unintended. Unintended effects are usually unanticipated and often unknown before the arrival of a new technology. Nevertheless, they are as important as the intended effects (Merton, 1936). The most subtle effects of technology may go unnoticed unless carefully observed and studied. These may manifest themselves gradually in changes in the behaviors and outlooks of individuals, groups, and even entire societies. Technologies do not change societies on their own, however, as they are linked to economic and ideological forces that are also relevant for shaping a given social totality. Of these non-technological forces, capitalism and its consumerist ideologies today have reached and permeated every major civilization worldwide. The result of this diffusion is that developing societies increasingly resemble Western nations in their values and outlooks. Thus, more and more emphasis is placed in these societies on acquiring material goods, wealth, and social status. Moreover, the more advanced a nation is in science, technology and economic wealth the more likely it will be touted as a role model for other nations, further compelling people in nations such as India to emulate those in the West. Four decades ago, the British social critic Matthew Arnold (1971) rightfully questioned Western notions of progress and the idea that wealth should be "a precious end in itself" (pp. 51-52). For Arnold, "Greatness is a spiritual condition worthy to excite love, interest and admiration; and the outward proof of possessing greatness is that we excite love, interest and admiration" (pp. 51-52). Though he was commenting on British society, Arnold's ideas are worth heeding in India as well, as Indians are drawn by the allure of Western culture, away from the spiritual values of their ancestors. In India today, the new dominant culture is that of the urban rich, whose ways of dressing, speaking, and thinking are promoted in newspapers, magazines, television, movies and now the Internet. As any casual observer to India will note, this urban culture is based on the values of the modernized West. Indian culture in this regard is being continually bombarded by an alien culture, one that is fixated with body image, fashion, and symbols of economic status. As Indians conform to the processes of globalization imposed on them in the name of progress, they are increasingly losing their identity along with their rich heritage and traditions. Indicative of the cultural threats nations such as India are facing, a UNESCO (2000) report states that rapid globalization has brought a radical change not only in the economic and technological order, but also in the mentalities and ways of conceiving the world. This new dimension requires a redefinition of the type of actions and strategies to be established in order to preserve and promote cultural diversity, in particular at the time when new global markets are being formed and the statute of cultural goods compared to that of ordinary consumer goods is being debated. (p. 4) 95 Vol 4, No 2 (2010-11) Globalization, Hinduism, and Cultural Change in India Although cross-cultural interactions have occurred throughout history, such contacts today radically differ in their nature and implications from those of the past. Unlike in previous eras, a true cross-fertilization of cultures is not taking place as there is limited or no personal interaction with peoples of different cultures to truly know and learn from them. More commonly, a superficial understanding of others is fostered through the virtual world of the Internet, television, and other electronic media. This is not an urban phenomenon only; technology and globalization have made their inroads into rural India as well. Even rural people in many parts of India have given up their traditional way of life and replaced it with the culture of American fast food, blue jeans, and MTV. In such an environment, the ability to speak English is prized while local languages are viewed as impediments to success. Furthermore, capitalism, the dominant socioeconomic system in every Western country, supports a highly individualistic, self-centered ideology. Indian myths, legends and stories, on the other hand, stress that good human beings think of the welfare of others before their own. A Hindu's prayers are not only for himself/herself but for the peace of all nature, the whole world, and even the cosmos. The Indian tradition in fact considers those who think only of themselves and their self-interest as demonic and those who think of others' wellbeing as divine in disposition. The following unnamed Indian children's story about demons and gods, once heard by the author and her family at a Hindu ceremony, beautifully illustrates the traditional emphasis on selflessness and consideration for others: Once, the demons and the gods were invited to a feast. Before the feast was laid, a thin plank of wood was tied to their arms so that they were unable to bend their arms. The demons were invited first to partake of the feast. Unable to bend their arms, the demons lifted their plates and tried to pour the food into their wide-open mouths. Most of the food spilled onto their faces and clothes and the demons, having made a spectacle of themselves, walked away angry, hungry and dissatisfied. Next, came the turn of the gods. The gods gracefully seated themselves opposite each other and when the food was served, they lifted their hands and fed the person sitting opposite them. Having had their fill, they rose from the feast, happy and satisfied. If religion has traditionally been a way of life for Indians, globalization with its emphasis on individualism and secularism is promoting worldviews that fail to meet their spiritual needs. Bijoya Sawian (2009), a writer from a Rajput family in the north of India, states that cultural distinctions are essential to impart individual identity and that a non-traditional upbringing may prove inadequate to the task. Describing her experience bringing up her sons in an age of secularism and globalization, she states: With my two sons - for the first ten years of their lives - in keeping with the inclination of their father - formal religion and rituals were kept far away from them. We gave them basic value education and told them to be good human beings and believe in God. It did not work as well as we had hoped it would. They had so much more to cope with and needed to turn to specific and familiar energies - "gods" to lean on and turn to. The new identity we tried to construct for them as citizens of secular India did not work as well as we had hoped. So now, they connect, they worship all the deities in the Hindu pantheon in accordance with the tradition in their parental home and yet they are as comfortable in churches and monasteries, dargahs and gurudwaras. In this, my husband and I, find a deep and joyful sense of reward and achievement. As the above quotation attests, Indian youth today are seized by a cultural schizophrenia in which they are encouraged to abandon their traditions yet given nothing to replace them with that provides spiritual satisfaction. Earlier forms of religion are subsequently dissolving and a hodgepodge reconstruction of cultural identities is taking place. 96 Asia Journal of Global Studies Anita Bhela TRADITIONAL HINDUISM Hinduism takes a comprehensive view of the human condition and classifies all the things people seek in the world and beyond into four broad categories called purushaarthas: kama, artha, dharma, and moksha (Lipner, 1994, pp.197-247; Younger, 1972). Kama includes the pleasure of the senses, both aesthetic pleasure and sensual pleasure. Artha includes the pursuit of material wellbeing, wealth, and power. Dharma includes striving for righteousness and virtue. Moksha describes the desire for liberation from reincarnation. The first three goals pertain to the world we know, whereas moksha involves freedom from the world and from desires. Attaining moksha is an extraordinary goal, one which few people seek. In preparing for it, the prior pursuit of dharma is essential. Dharma guides the individual as he moves through the four stages of life: Brahmacharya (the studentship stage), Grihastha (the householder stage), Vaanprastha (the forest dweller stage), and Sanyaasa (the renunciation stage). In these stages, a person also seeks to fulfill the four essential purushaarthas. Moksha, although the ultimate goal, is emphasized more in the last two stages of life, while artha and kama are primary only during Grihasthaashram, the householder stage. Dharma, however, is essential in all four stages. Dharma occupies a central role in regulating artha and kama and promoting moksha. Dharma is thus an all- important concept for Hindus. In addition to representing tradition and the moral order, it also signifies the path of knowledge and correct action. Hindus themselves prefer to use the Sanskrit term sanatana dharma for their religious tradition. Santana dharma is often translated into English as "eternal tradition" or "eternal religion" but the translation of dharma as "tradition" or "religion" conveys an extremely limited, even mistaken, sense of the word. The Hindu tradition encourages Hindus to seek spiritual and moral truth wherever it might be found, while acknowledging that no creed can contain such truth in its fullness and that each individual must realize this truth through his or her own systematic effort. According to Hinduism, our experience, our reason and our dialogue with others - especially with enlightened individuals - provide various means of testing our understanding of spiritual and moral truth, while Hindu scriptures, based on the insights of Hindu sages and seers, serve primarily as guidebooks. Ultimately, truth comes to the individual through direct consciousness of the divine or the ultimate reality. In other religions, this ultimate reality is known as God. Hindus refer to it by many names, but the most common name is Brahma. The Hindu religion comprises a whole way of living based on the achievement of the four aims of life associated with dharma. In Hinduism, religion and the cultural conditions associated with it, permeate all aspects of life, so much so, that the form of greeting in Gujarat is "Jai Shree Krishna"; in Rajasthan, "Rama Rama sa"; and in certain northern states, "Rama Rama," Rama and Krishna being the seventh and eighth reincarnations of Lord Vishnu. All aspects of the social life of Hindus - its classical and folk dances, dramas, music, arts, crafts and festivals - are so infused with religion that no activity can exist without it. The two seminal texts of Hindu culture are the two epics the Mahabharata (Ganguli, 1970) and the Ramayana (Shastri, 1985). The Ramayana has about 24,000 couplets and the Mahabharata about 90,000. The narrative pattern is complex, with innumerable interwoven stories that create an intricate but exquisite pattern. These two epic narratives, in different versions, are known throughout India (van Buitenen 1973, p. xxviii) and are retold in song, dance, and theater. Gillespie (1989) calls them "meta-texts" and asserts that every popular Hindi film is influenced by these two stories (p. 154). The Ramayana story has been retold in almost every Indian language and forms the main subject of all the folk traditions of India. Not only does it form the basis of the cultural traditions of the Hindus but it also promotes moral ideals - of kingship, brotherly love, honesty, sincerity, obedience, and other virtues. The most religious section of the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita, with its philosophy of non-attachment to the fruits of action, appeals to Indians and foreigners alike and Hindus have over centuries imbibed its moral and spiritual values (Lipner, 1994, pp. 221-222; Radhakrishnan, 1974). Globalization, Hinduism, and Cultural Change in India 97 Vol 4, No 2 (2010-11) It is interesting to note that the heroes of both the epics lived in exile for 13 to14 years and during this period they traversed across the length and breadth of India. Consequently, in every region of India there are sacred spots, temples and pilgrim centers associated with their journeys. Hindu temples are also found throughout India. The Jagannath temple in Jagannath Puri is one of the four most sacred temples in the four directions of the Indian subcontinent, the other three being Rameshwar in the South, Dwarka in the West, and Badrinath in the Himalayas. One of the strengths of Hinduism in the past was its ability to accommodate different identities and cultural traditions. Nearly a century ago, British novelist E. M. Forster (1915) wrote: Hinduism emphasizes the fact that we are all different. But it also emphasizes the other side of the human paradox - the fact that we are all the same . . . . Stripped of its local trappings, of its hundred gods, and monkeys and bulls and snakes, and twice born, it preaches with intense conviction and passion the doctrine of unity. It believes in caste, it believes in Pantheism also, and those two contradictory beliefs do really correspond to two contradictory emotions that each of us can feel, namely, 'I am different from everybody else', and 'I am the same as everybody else . . . .' Hinduism . . . does reveal a conception of Man's nature, and in consequence who are technically outside its pale. (p. 7) Eliot (1948, 1954) once made another important point that relates to Hinduism's traditional role in Indian society, arguing that a nation's peoples should be neither too united nor too divided and the cultures found within a country should complement each other. Each region in a nation should possess its own culture, claimed Eliot, but it should harmonize with and enrich the culture of surrounding regions, the reason being that each individual should feel himself/herself to be not only the citizen of a particular country but of a particular part of his/her country. In India, where the common culture is based on Brahminical orthodoxy, there exist highly developed local cultures that connect to the overall Hindu- influenced culture. Eliot (1948) aptly observed that a complete uniformity of culture would only lead to cultural degradation. He thus emphasized the need for "balance of unity and diversity in religion" and "universality of doctrine with particularity of cult and devotion" (p. 15). He further stated that "no culture can appear or develop except in relation to a religion" (Eliot, 1948, p. 27). All of these comments apply to India as it was throughout most of its history. However, certain conditions are needed for the growth and survival of a heterogeneous yet unified culture and globalization is destroying those conditions. Secularism along with its accompanying emphasis on individualism encourages each individual to arrive at a personal value system based on his/her lived experiences. That each individual can arrive at a value system, one which will be good for the community as well, is a fallacy. A core system of values is essential. Hinduism has possessed this core in the past. It upholds no established canonical text or institution, and at different periods in its history different systems of thought have been taken up by different gurus, saints and leaders, each of whom felt that the earlier system was in some way inadequate or had become rigid or corrupted. And though leaders took different directions, their ideas were always based on the same core beliefs. GLOBALIZATION AND HOMOGENIZATION Today a homogenization of cultures is taking place, denying the individual the freedom to make informed choices. Homogenization is contrary to the natural impulses of mankind. All individuals desire to identify with a common culture and yet retain their individual identities of region and customs. The unity in diversity concept is especially true of India. Existing cultures are threatened by the rapidity of change and there is no time to assimilate and integrate and yet retain individual regional identities and cultures. 98 Asia Journal of Global Studies Anita Bhela In India, the religious, aesthetic, and social life spheres traditionally formed a cohesive whole. The religious ethos in particular was equally a treasure trove for the rich and poor, educated, and illiterate; all participated in the vision, though at different levels. The erosion of religion in such a context, therefore, amounts to the erosion of culture. Consequently, India is witness today to extreme trends of individuals either abandoning their traditions wholesale, or reacting fanatically with a protective rigidity, fearing an erosion of their identity. Both these extreme reactions, however, are inimical to the organic growth and sustenance of culture. LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND IDENTITY Language is a social phenomenon. It is governed by rules which are inter-personally operative. Words do not drop from heaven, ready for use, but evolve through inter-personal sharing of ideas and co-operative behaviors. They are the result of much cultural contact between people, making language a powerful medium for the transmission of culture. Although India is a land of myriad languages, the different languages share a common culture based on Brahamanical Hinduism, which in turn is based on the Vedas and the Upanishads. However, the introduction of English as a "superior" and international language has created or aggravated cleavages in society. The problem is not with the language alone but with the fact that it is a language which is "alien," in the sense that it does not share a common culture with languages indigenous to India. Not only is English imposing its culture on the Indian people but there is a counter-movement going on as well, a cultural "hijacking" of words of Sanskrit and Hindi origin. Like the adoption of English words into Indian languages and increased usage of English in India in general, the acquisition, adaptation, and translation of Sanskrit and Hindi words into English is also contributing to the erosion of Hindu religion and culture. Certain words can only be correctly understood within their original cultural contexts. Take for instance the word Jagannatha. The word is of Sanskrit and Hindi origin and has been adopted by the English language as "Juggernaut." The original word was formed by a combination of jagat meaning "world" and nath meaning "lord" or "protector." In Hindu mythology, Jagannatha is identified with Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu ("Jaggarnat," OED, 1989, p. 1). Every year on an auspicious day in early July, Hindus celebrate the Rath Yatra festival, rath meaning "chariot" and yatra, a "pilgrimage" or "procession." Though this festival is celebrated all over India, it originated in Jagannath, Puri, Orissa. Every year, the deities of Jagannatha temple - Jagannatha (Lord Krishna), Balaram (Lord Krishna's brother), and Subhadra (Lord Krishna's sister) - are traditionally installed on enormous chariots and devotees pull them through the streets. Formerly, many devotees threw themselves under its wheels to be crushed to achieve moksha. The word juggernaut (For etymology see OED,1989, pp 1-2 ) was first used in the English language in 1638 by Bruton, who wrote: "Vnto this Pagod . . . doe belong 9,000 Brammines or Priests, which doe dayly offer Sacrifice vnto their great God Iaggarnat . . . . And when it [the chariot] is going along the City, there are many that will offer themselves a sacrifice to this Idoll" (OED, 1989, p. 1). Then in 1727 Hamilton described "Jagarynat" and his "Effigie" being carried in procession, "mounted on a Coach four Stories high" (p. 1). Notice how the idol has become an "effigy." Later, in 1825, there is a reference to the "car" of Jagannath and the ceasing of the practice of people throwing themselves under its wheels (OED,1989, p. 1). The chariot first became a "coach" and then a "car." However, in 1827 a journal article refers to the year 1790, when about "twenty-eight Hindoos were crushed to death . . . under the wheels of Juggernaut" (OED, 1989, p. 1). This is the first instance where the chariot itself is called Juggernaut. Thus, through this and such subsequent usage the word acquired its present meaning in English. Now it refers to any institution, practice, or notion to which persons blindly devote themselves, or are ruthlessly sacrificed. In 1878, Edison described the needs of man "as a remorseless Juggernaut" and later 99 Vol 4, No 2 (2010-11) Globalization, Hinduism, and Cultural Change in India practical politics came to be defined as a Juggernaut that grinds everyone under its car (OED, 1989, pp.1-2). The etymology of the word Jagannatha clearly reveals how, many a time, the meaning of a word might be completely modified when it is adopted by a foreign language with an alien culture. In India, the word is almost always associated with Jagannatha, the lord of the world, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, but writers of the English language who define a word's meaning for that language, not understanding who Jagannatha was, have substituted the name of the god for the vehicle, i.e. the chariot itself. The latest example of this hijacking of language is James Cameron's movie Avatar - another word sacrificed to the service of English. Although avatar in English refers to a computer user's representation of himself/herself, in Hinduism it has sacred and religious connotations as it is associated with the ten reincarnations of Lord Vishnu. But with the out of context usage of avatar, we see a weakening of the religious fervor and power originally associated with it, a demeaning of the word that undermines the religious sensibilities of Indians, especially Hindus. Other words that have lost their original aura and power as a result of English are yoga, mantra, and guru. A similar trend can be seen in the portrayal of Hindu gods. Hinduism has a pantheon of gods, but the translation of their names into English equivalents on the basis of the physical attributes of the gods has taken away their sacredness as symbols of religious beliefs. Hanuman has become the "monkey god" and Ganesh, the "elephant headed god." In fact, stories about the gods told today in books and on television are now bereft of their religious significance; Hanuman is just another superman for the urban elite children of India. Words wrested from their cultural contexts lose their meaning. Anvita Abbi, a linguist, in an interview with Bhoomika Meiling (JNU News, Sept-Oct, 2007) stresses the importance of preserving languages not as museum pieces but as living cultures. She calls English "a killer language," arguing that "wherever it goes it kills the indigenous languages gradually." For Abbi, language is a means of understanding the past as well as the future of a people. She thus expresses grave concern over the rise of English in India. If even one dialect is lost due to English, suggests Abbi, the loss can inflict irreversible damage on the whole culture's knowledge, ways of thinking, and modes of understanding. INDIAN CULTURE AND THE VIRTUAL WORLD The greatest event in the history of Indian television was the screening of the two epics, The Mahabharata and The Ramayana. The Ramayana, written and directed by Ramanand Sagar, was aired every Sunday morning from January 25, 1987 to July 31, 1988. The screening was viewed by an unprecedented 100 million people, nearly one eighth of the nation (Lutgendorf, 2006, p. 146), and the epic proved so popular that life came to a standstill throughout the nation as people sat glued to their TV sets or watching the show in public places. Indicating the religious significance of the show, some viewers garlanded television sets and performed puja 1 before the start of the program (Lutgemdorf, 2006, pp.146-147).The Ramayana was followed by B. R.Chopra's equally successful The Mahabharata. The 94 episodes of the latter were shown over a period of two years, from 1988 to 1990. Following the popularity of these two epics, a string of serials based on the life stories of individual gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon were shown on television and continue to be screened. The religious soaps Jai Hanuman, Hanuman, Shridi Sai Baba, Shanidev, Jai Santoshi Ma, Jai Mata Ki, and Om Namay Shivay have enjoyed great popularity. Besides these religious serials, a number of 24-hour channels wholly devoted to religion and spirituality have emerged, including Sanskar, Aastha, Sadhna, Jeevan, Maharishi Veda Vision and God. As well as showing movies, the channels offer live broadcasts of major religious events and festivals. Recently, there was a live telecast of the Kumbh Mela 2 , Ganesh Chaturthi 3 and Navratra 4 celebrations. 100 Asia Journal of Global Studies Anita Bhela The popularity of religious television programming might seem to suggest that traditional beliefs and values are being preserved despite threats from globalization and other social forces. However, such programs are in fact a sign of religious and cultural decline. As religion and its values diminish in the real world, religious observances, customs, and ritualistic pujas are performed on the daily soaps or serials and passively viewed by millions of Indians. Rituals once performed actively at home are now participated in vicariously through TV. At one time, the epic Ramayana was read in every Hindu household and the story retold and enacted in almost every village during the 10-day festival of Dusshera. In this annual re-enactment, the various roles were played by locals and though the tradition still continues it is not with the same vigour. The active participation of the people is missing as most of them sit at home watching the drama on television. People do not read the Gita and the Ramayana but they have Gita alerts and bhajans (devotional songs) on mobile phones, hymns and mantras as ring tones. Even virtual pujas can be performed on the Internet (Doniger, 2009, p. 641). A passive, virtual religious culture is replacing an active, truly participatory one. The two most visited shrines of India are the Vaishno Devi Shrine in the north and the Tirupati Temple dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara in the south. The trek to the Vaishno Devi shrine is 7.5 miles from the base at Katra and thousands of people follow this route extolling the Mother Goddess. Faith gives them the strength for the walk, the aim of which is a darshan (a sacred glimpse) of the Mata (mother). People wait for hours and hours for the darshan. They sleep on the side of the road or any other place that they can find, waiting patiently for their turn to be blessed by the goddess. But now a daily telecast of the prayer ceremony makes it possible to see the deities of the inner cave shrine on TV. An online darshan is available as well. For a small fee paid through the Internet a puja can be performed without the person having to be physically present at the shrine. Similarly, the Tirupati Temple ceremonies can also be seen directly on TV. Hardly strengthening Hinduism, a desecration of religious practices is taking place as a result of television and the Internet. People now sit with their feet pointing towards the deity (traditionally, a highly disrespectful thing to do), munching popcorn, and drinking tea/coffee, without the awe, faith, devotion and respect usually associated with religious worship. Debased and cut off from its sacredness, sanctity, and nourishing roots as such, the Hindu religion and its accompanying value system seem to be dying a slow death. Lipner (1994) lists the different ways in which Hinduism has been interpreted by scholars and concludes that it is a vast, complex, and multi-faceted phenomenon. In order to further explain its infinite variety, mystifying complexity and unity in diversity, he compares Hinduism to the Great Banyan tree of Kolkata. This tree sends down roots that in time appear as individual tree trunks and the whole becomes a vast proliferating jungle, so that "an ancient Banyan looks like an interconnected collection of trees and branches in which the same life-sap flows: one yet many" (Lipner, 1994, p. 5). In this Banyan, new branches and roots continuously spring up as others wither away. This analogy best describes the spirit of Hinduism; though some roots of Hinduism are slowly decaying, the religion is kept alive, albeit in a convoluted form, in the virtual world of television and the Internet. Perhaps, when the forces of globalization have spent themselves, the arboreal shoots will take root again and spring other stable tree trunks through which the same life force will continue to flow. Hopefully, in time, Hinduism, with its inherent virtues of tolerance, ethical values, and concept of dharma linked to the four ends of life, will resuscitate itself and rise from own ashes like the phoenix and one of the world's oldest religions will live on! NOTES 1 Puja, or Pooja, is a Sanskrit term meaning "adoration" or "homage." In Hinduism, puja is a daily ritual involving devotion and chanting or recitation of a sacred text to a deity. 101 Vol 4, No 2 (2010-11) Globalization, Hinduism, and Cultural Change in India Puja can be done as an elaborate community event, family event or by a single individual. Before a puja, the worshiper is required to take a shower and wear clean clothes. Ideally, the place for puja is a separate room or a corner in the house with an altar. Generally, step by step rituals are followed in performing the puja. The deity/deities are worshipped through offerings of water, flowers, incense, sweets or fruits, as well as the lighting of a lamp. The sweets/fruits after being offered to the god/gods become prasada. At the conclusion of the puja, the prasada is distributed among the worshippers and each worshipper receives a small portion. The right way to receive prasada is by placing the right palm over the left palm and curving the fingers to form a cup. 2 The holy festival of Kumbh is the most sacred celebration for Hindus. At this largest religious gathering on earth, tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims come together to take a ceremonial dip in the sacred Ganges, Shipra or Godavari Rivers. It is celebrated at Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, cities where drops of the nectar of immortality were spilled from the kumbh (pitcher) during a battle between the gods and demons. Each site's celebration dates are calculated in advance according to a special combination of the zodiacal positions of Sun, Moon, and Jupiter. The Kumbh Mela is held every three years. An Ardh (half) Mela (festival) is celebrated every six years. The Purna (complete) Kumbh takes place every 12 years, at Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik. The Kumbh Mela which comes after 12 Purna Kumbh Melas, or 144 years, is held at Allahabad. This unique event blends religious and cultural features alike. The entire atmosphere is saturated with the religious fervor of chiming bells, incense, flower fragrances, Vedic hymns, mantras and the beating of drums. A special feature is the processions of naga (naked) sadhus (religious men) covered with ash from different akhadas (orders). Hindus believe that taking a bath in the sacred river during the Kumbh Mela washes away sins and breaks the cycle of reincarnation. An estimated 50 million people gathered in Haridwar over a period of 104 days for the Kumbh Mela of 2010. 3 Navratri is a festival of Hindus celebrated with devotion, love and festivities all over India. It is also known as Navratras. The word navaratri literally means "nine nights" in Sanskrit, nava meaning "nine" and ratri meaning "nights." Navaratri is celebrated in different ways throughout India. In North India, Navratris are celebrated by fasting on all nine days and worshipping the Mother Goddess in her different forms. 4 Ganesh Chaturthi is the birthday of Lord Ganesha, who is widely worshipped by Hindus as the God of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in many parts of India. However, the best celebrations are associated with the state of Maharashtra, where celebrations stretch across 10 days. Ganesha pandals (stages) are created and beautifully decorated and pujas are performed daily till the day of Ganesh Murti Visarjan (immersion of Ganesha idols into the waters). On the visarjan day huge processions of people carry the idols to a river, lake or ocean, accompanied by the beating of drums, singing of devotional songs, dancing and chants of "Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudcha Varshi Laukarya" (Oh Ganpati, my Lord! Return soon next year!). REFERENCES Abbi, A. (2007, Sept.-Oct.). In Conversation with . . . JNU News Retrieved February 3, 2011, from www.jnu.ac.in/JNUNewsArchives/JNUNews_Sep_Oct2007/conversation.htm Arnold, M. (1971). Culture and anarchy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Doniger, W. (2009). The Hindus: An alternative history. New Delhi: Penguin. Eliot, T. S. (1948). Notes towards the definition of culture. London: Faber and Faber Ltd. Eliot, T. S. (1954). The idea of a Christian society. London: Faber and Faber Ltd. Forster E. M. (1915, April 30). The mission of Hinduism. Daily News and Lender. In G. K. Das (Ed.) (1977). E. M. Forster's India (p. 7). London: The Macmillan Press, Ltd. Ganguli, K. M. (Trans./Ed.). (1970). The Mahabarata of Krishna - Dwaipayana Vyasa (12 vols). (3rd ed.). New Delhi: Munshiram Manohar Lal Publishing House Pvt. Ltd. Gillespie, M. (1989). Technology and tradition - audio-visual culture among South Asian families in West London. In A. Gray & J. McGuigan (Eds.). (1993). Studying culture: An introductory reader. London: Edward Arnold. 102 Asia Journal of Global Studies Anita Bhela Lipner, J. (1994). Hindus: Their religious beliefs and practices (reprinted 1999). London & New York: Routledge. Lutgendorf, P. (2006). A Ramayana on air: All in the (Raghu) family: A video epic in cultural context. In J. S. Hawley & V. Narayanan. The life of Hinduism. The life of religion (pp. 140-157). Berkeley: University of California Press. Merton, R. K. (1936). The unanticipated consequences of purposive social action. American Sociological Review, 1(6), pp. 894-904. Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Retrieved March 23, 2007 from http://dictionary.oed.com Radhakrishnan, S. R. (1974). The Bhagavadagita: With an introductory essay, Sanskrit text, English translation and notes. New Delhi: Blackie and Son (India) Ltd. Sawian, B. (2009, November). The importance of a cultural identity in multicultural society. (Unpublished panel discussion). National conference on conflict, belonging, and multiculturalism. Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, Delhi. Shastri, H. P. (Trans.). (1985). The Ramayana of Valmiki (3 vols.) (3rd ed.). London: Shantisadan. Tylor, E. B. (1871). Primitive culture (2 vols.) (7th ed.) New York: Brentano's Publishers. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (2000). (Revised version September 2004). UNESCO and the issue of cultural diversity: Review and strategy, 1946-2004. Stenou Katrina (Ed.). Paris: UNESCO. Van Buitenen, J. A. B. (Ed. & Trans.). (1973). The Mahabharata (incomplete). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Younger, P. (1972). Introduction to Indian religious thought. London: Darton, Longman Todd Limited.