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)
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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
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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!).
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