Essay on Our Cultural Heritage Complete Essay for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.
India’s cultural heritage is a harmonious blending of an, religion and philosophy which is unique in the world. Some 4,000 years before the birth of Christ, the first- stirring of civilization occurred amongst the people of India. Till the end of the British Raj, India had been exposed to an unbroken sequence of civilizations. All this has only served to enrich our cultural tradition. All efforts should be directed towards nurturing this rich treasure.
India has a rich cultural tradition. There is a harmonious blending of art, religion and philosophy in the Indian culture. They are beautifully interwoven in the fabric of Indian way of life and thought. Indian culture is actually an outcome of continuous synthesis of different cultures and has absorbed many external influences in the course of history. The first stirring of civilization occurred amongst the people of India some 4,000 years before the birth of Christ. From those ancient times till recent past, we were exposed to unbroken sequence of civilizations. It is only the dynamism and the flexibility of Indian culture that enabled it to survive these foreign invasions and retain its originality and traditional character even after imbibing the best of these external influences.
Indian people, who are by nature tolerant and fatalists, did not at any time ridicule the traditions of foreign civilizations. On the other hand, Indian mind has assimilated much of the thinking of the other cultures, thus enriching itself and thereby becoming unique in its character. Today, it is this uniqueness which attracts the western societies to the Indian culture. Disillusioned with their materialistic pattern of lives they turn to India for solace and peace.
The wisdom of our ancient epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata serves as a beacon light to the seekers of spiritual bliss and holds eternal lessons of the victory of good over evil. In the Bhagvad Gita Krishna tells how every human being can come to live the subtle philosophical principles laid down in our scriptures in the actual to-day life. Lord Buddha taught us to follow the middle path exercising control over the passions. One has to admit that Indian sari and philosophers had started pondering on great issues 2000 years ago which have been raised in the west only in the last century.
Indian art was influenced by the religious beliefs and the philosophical trends of the times. The temples of the south, the caves of Ajanta Ellora and Khajuraho are living testimony to the artistic excellence achieved by the Indian artists, sculptors and architects in those gone by days. Foreign tourists experience a spiritual reawakening on visited these temples.
Indian music is remarkable because of the continuity in its growth Long before Christian eta, it had developed not only definite laws of, theory and practice, but even comprehensive theories of appreciate. Like Indian dance, it is built on the concepts of ragas and tales. Each raga is regarded as appropriate to certain emotion, a certain mood, suitable for certain time of the day or night. There are two major schools of classical music—the Hindustani and the Climatic. Both derive their rules from the classical treatises Natya Shastra of Bharata and Sangeet Ratnakar by Sarangdeva. There are about 250 ragas commonly used in. north as well as south. Indian music has had great impact on the western music. Great maestros like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, etc. have made valuable contribution towards popularising and promoting appreciation for Indian music abroad.
The background of Indian dance is infinitely rich and as varied as the land. itself yet with the same underlying unity which binds the people of the country together. The dances of India, whether folk or classical are an eloquent expression of an ancient civilization, whose timeless wisdom continues to evoke the passionate search of man for conscious identity with God. Folk and tribal dances of India are of innumerable types. But they all express its peoples natural gaiety, sense of abandon and rhythm. The origin of classical dances is from the Hindu temples. It was in the temples that they were first conceived and nourished. It Was also in the temples that they attained their full stature. While it is frue that dances were also performed in Courts, festive occasions, etc. yet the, impulse that gave them birth was religious.
There are four major. systems of classical dances in India—–Bharat Natyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Manipuri. Other prominent dances are Kuchipudi of Andhra, Odissi of Orissa, and Mohiniattarn of Kerala. As in all performing arts, so in dance the concept of rasa holds the central place. In dancing rasa is conveyed through behave or expression, through the technique of abhinaya. One of the latest developments in the field of dance is ballet, which has brought about a synthesis of the lyricism, grace and pictorial quality of Indian dance forms—both classical and folk.
Since Independence, Indians themselves have become increasingly keen to promote their sense of national identity and cultural unity. Consequently there has been a revival of interest in indigenous folk arts, especially in the realm of music and dance. Now, it is up to our educational institutions to ensure that the younger generation imbibes the right values and tries to uphold the torch of spiritual and cultural renaissance for the rest of the world to see and emulate and not get carried away by the materialistic ideology of the west, where man has achieved astounding success in unraveling the mysteries of nature, but feels alienated and rootless in his own community and society. We must ensure that modern India. does not at any stage forget its rich cultural heritage, a legacy of our ancient seers, philosophers and sages.
The success with which Festivals of India have met with in the U.S.A., France, the former U.S.S.R. and Japan proves the interest of foreigners in our cultural traditions. At home too, the government’s efforts to promote a revival of interest in our folk arts, music and dance have met with tremendous public response. People of Delhi saw Apna Utsav a few years back and learnt many things along with most modern stage techniques.
The classical theatre has a tradition of more than.2,000 years. Dramas were mainly performed on platforms raised in temple courtyards and palaces. The choice of themes was varied. Although mainly taken from folk stories, epics and religious texts, it was an elaborate affair and Combined dance, acting and music.
Historically speaking, with the passing of early Hindu kingdoms—under whose patronage the arts had flourished in India—and the Muslim invasion of the North, the dramatic tradition almost died in the North. ,However, south of India retained a remarkable continuity of its cultural heritage virtually because of its geographical. position, where the foreign invaders did not meet with much success. It goes to the credit of Indian peoples tenacity and ability that they Were able to retain their essential traditional outlook in spite of fierce onslaughts by invaders.
The British Raj to a certain exent was responsible for the recovery of intellectual curiosity. A deep interest Was taken in the story of India s past ,and to preserve the country s rich cultural heritage. It was a sign of maturity and foresight on the part of the British to leave the people to follow their faith and belief they were not aware. All these are attempts to keep our cultural heritage alive and transmit it to the younger generations.
