Cultural Diversity in India and Globalization

India is truly a complex nation -- that's why it is often referred to as a subcontinent. While the diversity of India has posed tremendous integration problems since its formation, it is this very diversity that her population finds a source of enormous pride and joy. One major factor of diversity is religion. Virtually every major religion has a strong connection with India (including Christianity as some people claim Jesus Christ meditated in India in his early years). Buddhism was born in India, as were Sikhism, Jainism, and of course Hinduism. In fact, the Jewish people are living in India since 600 B.C., and the people of Bahai faith, all are found in India in substantial numbers. In addition to variety of religions, there are a vast number of languages. By some counts there are over 200 languages in India (almost 1600, if you include dialects), with about twenty of them being very prominent ones. There is no such thing as the Indian language. Imagine a nation where the population does not understand their national anthem or the President's address to the nation. That is India for you. Even the Indian currency is printed in 15 languages. Globalization has transformed India both culturally and economically. Despite Indias diversity, its early experiences with globalization were not

pleasant. When it gained independence in 1947 from British, it still faced many obstacles. The violence of colonization had not only sapped Indias strength but also left it economically and politically insecure battling the ghosts of its imperial years. Independent India viewed trade as nothing more than Imperialism, a system that would force them to remain under the British thumb. The successive Governments leaned towards socialism and a closed economy which led to a poor GDP from 1947 to 1980 with an average growth rate of 1.2 percent. With this parasitic cycle, the Indian economy became bankrupt in 1991. As a result, India abandoned the socialist model. Today however, reforms have built a strong, vibrant market and an expanding class of workers and consumers across India. India clearly entered the global market moody and uncertain about its new policies and disheartened by its crisis, but soon after reforms the country saw the takeoff in one particular sector: the software industry. It saved India from prolonged economic disaster and the technology sector continues to grow, branching out into new areas, with a greater focus on innovation. Unconstrained by Indias capital and infrastructure bottlenecks, the knockout growth of the sector in the years since reforms showed how well world markets could work to Indias advantage. In the 1960s to the 1970s, Western press interactions with India were very limited. Most of the people outside of the Indian subcontinent believed that Indians

were a faceless mass and people of vast and poor nation. These perceptions started changing only when Indian entrepreneurs began to venture outward. Western corporations began to encounter Indians who were educated, supported free markets and were positive about global trade, along with international standards and the best practices. Through the past two decades, Indian firms across manufacturing and agriculture sectors have been exporting and diversifying internationally. These skills have massively aided for Indian economic advantage as India reaches out to the world. As a new Indian middle class has developed around the wealth that the IT and BPO industries have brought to the country, a new consumer base has developed. International companies are also expanding their operations in India to service this massive growth opportunity. Notable examples of international companies that have done well in India in the recent years include Pepsi, CocaCola, McDonalds, KFC, Ford and GM whose products have been well accepted by Indians at large. Globalization in India has been advantageous for companies that have ventured in the Indian market. By simply increasing their base of operations, expanding their workforce with minimal investments, and providing services to a broad range of consumers, large companies entering the Indian market have opened up many profitable opportunities.

When historians write of the worlds recent history, they are likely to reflect on two trends: the advance of globalization and the spread of democracy. Globalization has been the more contentious, because it has effects both good and bad, and democracy has opened space for people to protest the bad effects. Globalization has also allowed for increased contact between people and their values, ideas and ways of life in unprecedented ways. People are travelling more frequently and more widely than ever before. Television now reaches families in the deepest rural areas of China. From Brazilian music in Tokyo to African films in Bangkok, to books on the history of the Arab world in Moscow, to the CNN world news in Amman, people revel in the diversity of the age of globalization. For many people this new diversity is exciting, even empowering, but for some it is disturbing and disempowering. Thank you.