Essay

“South Asian Socialites are woven not around the state

but around plural cultures and identities”

By

TAIMOOR AHMAD
9M
OUTLINE
1. Introduction
2. Background of Cultural Identities in South Asian
3. Workers' Misery - Workers' Culture in South Asia
1. The socioeconomic profile of the industrial proletariat in South Asia.
2. Work Culture at national level
3. Everyday life in nationalism and multiculturalism
4. Political culture
4. South Asian young people and girls in state and ‘everyday’ multiculturalism
1. Multiculturalism, South Asian women and gender rights
2. Multiculturalism’s political backlash and ‘new’ Muslim identities
3. Situating South Asian women identities in multiculturalism
5. Muslim Concepts of Local Power and Resistance. Islamic Militants in the Indian
Frontier Province between 1900 and Independence
1. Root causes of Islamic activism
2. Islamic militant movements on the north-west Frontier
3. Islam and politics in British India -the "Weapon of Faith"
6. Nationalism vs Multiculturalism in South Asian Countries
1. Internal Cultural Diversities in Pakistan
2. Internal Cultural Diversities in India
3. Internal Cultural Diversities in Bangladesh
4. Internal Cultural Diversities in Sri Lanka
5. Internal Cultural Nepal and Bhutan
6. Internal Cultural Diversities in Afghanistan
7. Culture,Identity and Politics and its Impact on Bilateral Relations
8. Conclusion
Culture is a term that refers to a large and diverse set of mostly intangible aspects of social life.
According to sociologists, culture consists of the values, beliefs, systems of language,
communication, and practices that people share in common and that can be used to define them
as a collective , includes the material objects that are common to that group or society and it is
distinct from social structure and economic aspects of society, but it is connected to them. For
example, Islamic culture generally includes all the practices which have developed around the
religion of Islam. There are variations in the application of Islamic beliefs (Oneness of God,
Prophets, Revealed books, Angels, Predestination and Day of Resurrection) in different
cultures – sectors of Islam (Sunni, Al- Hadees,Shia or Deoband) and traditions (customs of a
nation). The culture can be base on primary and secondary institutions of society. The primary
institution includes family. Secondary institutions are education, religion, work, and health
care. There are different types of cultures exist in South Asian societies based on religion,
work, education or family system e.g. minorities culture in Pakistan. The culture of this region
is totally based on the tribes rather than the border division. For example, Pashtoons tribes exist
in Pakistani provinces KPK or Baluchistan and Pashtoons of Afghanistan have the same
culture. People of this area are recognized due to their culture instead of division of borders. In
these societies, members show multiple roles at a time. These are workers culture , young
people culture , separation culture , religious culture or overall state culture. In worker culture,
there is capitalist - labor culture is most prominent, worker culture at the national level or
political culture. According to PSI report, there is 54.6% workers work in South Asia. In young
people culture, there are multiple subcultures exist. These are the modernization of society that
is totally base on West culture, multiculturalism rights in societies or mainly the role of women
in South Asian societies. The religious culture is one of the most important parts of the people
of these societies. This can be prominent while seeing the division of the sub-continent. The
general public of this region always lies in the war of nationalism (identification with one's own
nation and support for its interests) or multiculturalism(members of different cultures can live
peacefully alongside each other). Every state has its own culture i.e culture of Pakistan is
different from other South Asian states in the form of government, living standards, politics,
religion or structure of the settlement. But these states have bilateral or multilateral relations
with each other due to its survival or create hegemony in this region. It is a need of time to
share national culture one country into another country for the development of this region.

South Asian Societies are not recognized on the base of their states culture. These can be
recognized on the basis of their own cultural institutions (primary or secondary institutions).

The ever-evolving South Asian civilization has as its sources indigenous elements of prehistoric
origin and elements borrowed from the cultures represented by successive waves of invaders
over more than four millennia. The sources are unusually diverse: native prehistoric,
Mesopotamian, Indo-European Aryan, Greek, Mongol, Arab, Persian and European. From early
times, there have been cultural and economic centers where different cultures have met and
generated new forms. Evidence of Neolithic culture has been found throughout the modern
states Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka that
represent South Asia or Southern Asia (also known as the Indian subcontinent). Since 3,300
B.C. in modern-day northeastern Afghanistan, in Pakistan and northwestern India a
sophisticated Bronze Age cultural tradition emerged, that after only a few centuries fully
flourished in urban centers. Due to the high quality of its arts, crafts, metallurgy and buildings,
the accomplishments in urban planning, governance, trade and technology etc. it has been
classified as one of the principal Cradles of civilization. Referred to as the Indus Valley
Civilisation or Harappan Civilisation it thrived for almost 2.000 years until the onset of the
Vedic period (c. 1500 – c. 600 B.C.). The Indus Valley Civilization on the other hand has only
come to light by means of 20th century archaeology. Declining climatic conditions,
(aridification) and population displacement (Indo-Aryan migration) are regarded as to have
caused the fatal disruption of the Harappa culture, that was superseded by the rural Varans
culture. The cultural model of the varnas and the functioning jati system overlap and both
continue to be vital in modern India. The Varnas are a universal model of society comprising
four classes based on hereditary occupations: Brahmins (priests); Kshatriyas (warriors);
Vaishyas (merchants); Sudras (ordinary workers).Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism
are major world religions that originate in South Asia. These arguably represent the furthest
reaching, most profound and permanent South Asian ideas on other cultural spheres. After a
long and complex history of cosmological and religious development, adoption and decline, the
Hindu-synthesis and the late but thorough introduction of Islam about 80% of modern-day
Indians and Nepalis identify as Hindus. In Sri Lanka and Bhutan most people adhere to various
forms of Buddhism. Accoring to Islam is the predominant religion in Afghanistan, the Maldives
(99%), Pakistan (96%) and Bangladesh (90%).Modern India is tied to the international
economy but has striven for relative economic independence. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh,
the other heirs to the British Empire in South Asia, are more dependent than India on the
international economy and external assistance. Since 1947, India has often assumed a
leadership role among the new nations of Asia and Africa, pursuing a policy of positive
neutrality. Pakistan allied itself with the United States and has been a major recipient of
American military and economic assistance. India has also received a good deal of economic
aid but has refused to form any military alliance, although in 1970 it concluded a long-tern
friendship treaty with the U.S.S.R.
The culture of any place is basically depend upon the workers of that society. The emergence of
the workers' culture in India took place within the boundary of a society which underwent
changes of its traditional features caused by the position of capitalist forms of production by the
metropolitan country, as well as by the colonial superstructure. In the course of about a century
a stable proletariat came into being. According to Mohammed Ayoob, the total size of the
working population is 1.5 per cent in 1910, and 3.1 per cent in 1941, with an increasing
number of factory workers from 316,000 in 1891 to 1,751,000 in 1939. All the countries in the
region have gone through significant structural changes over time, as one would expect in
conjunction with economic growth. Growth accelerated between the two halves in three out of
the five countries namely, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The acceleration has been the
sharpest in Bangladesh, where the growth rate doubled from 2.7 per cent per annum in the first
half to 5.4 per cent in the second. In comparison, the acceleration in Nepal and Sri Lanka has
been marginal. As for the two countries that have experienced growth deceleration, Bhutan’s
case is somewhat special because its growth rate in the 1980s (10.1 per cent) was a bit artificial,
built as it was on a low base. The only genuine deceleration is observed in Pakistan, where the
growth rate went down from 5.8 per cent in the first half to 4.1 per cent in the second.
According to World Bank, six months ago, GDP growth in South Asia is revised downward by
1.1 percentage points for this year and by 0.7 and 0.4 percentage points for the next two years.
The worker of this region is always travel in capitalist and labor culture.
Work culture may be defined as the rules/regulations, policies, practices, traditions/rituals and
values/beliefs of the society. The working culture of Asia encompasses the collective and
diverse customs and traditions of art, architecture, music, literature, lifestyle, philosophy,
politics and religion that have been practiced and maintained by the numerous ethnic groups of
the continent of Asia since prehistoric. A decade ago, the work culture in India had a vast
difference as compared to rest of the world, especially western countries. But, now there is a
paradigm shift due to enormous growth in IT sector India, BPO’s etc. The advent of
globalization made business enterprises and employees to work across the borders Of various
countries, thus providing exposure to cross cultural working environment to both the
organizations and employees. This eliminated the huge gap between the work culture of India
and other countries to some extent. However, in fields other than IT and Government sectors of
India the work culture differs a lot from that of other countries. Since independence of Pakistan
, majority of Pakistan nation is working in agriculture sectors. But now the people think about
to work in industry and technology. Similarly the Bhutan working culture is based on hydro
power development due to it is land lock country. At the same time Bangladesh nation after
separating from Pakistan is working mainly work in textile industry. According to investors and
customers of South Africa , the country’s import textile from Bangladesh. However working
culture of Afghanistan is totally based on the invaders because Afghanistan is always stay in the
state of war. It is a need of to work for socioeconomic development for the region collectively
with the help of sharing culture.
The everyday life of South Asian people is revolving around the primary and secondary
institutions. The family is a central site of everyday life in South Asia. It is an arena through
which persons move through the life-course passages of birth, youth, marriage, parenthood,
aging, and dying; it can be a place of love and conflict, material sustenance and want,
companionship and painful separations. In secondary institution religion is important
constituent of these societies. Muslims societies follow their beliefs , Hindus follow their
faiths , Sikhs move to their beliefs etc. The social construction of this region is totally based on
the beliefs and institution of society. The individual of these societies spend its whole life at
nationalism and also in the multiculturalism. In nationalism perspective , he/she follows the
traditions of its family (primary institution). On the other hand multiculturalism , he/she spends
its life in different cultures i.e. religion beliefs , educational culture of society and mainly state
‘s spend its life according to state’s defined rules and laws. The everyday life of overall society
in South Asia is divided into sub cultures on the basis of tribes , religions , family structure and
socialization. There is diversity in the every day life of South Asian region because when look
at the Indian individual initally baby is born , divided into caste of family ,then divide on the
base of religion and its sectors, then divide on the grounds of education and at the end its social
factors how he/she behave in society.
South Asia is not merely a region in geographical terms but is also historically, socially and
politically deeply interconnected. Not only have boundaries been shifting in the past across the
countries that comprise this region, the boundaries themselves are recent and migrations have
taken place across the centuries. Moreover, the formation of modern states in each of these
countries is connected to the history of others. Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India have
undeniably linked stories of origin.
Policies and politics, particularly in relation to minorities in one state, tend to have its echoes
across boundaries. If Hindu minorities are attacked in Bangladesh or Pakistan, this tends to
have reverberations in India. Thus, the minorities in one country are related by ethnicity or
religion to neighbouring states. This often has an adverse effect on the situation of minorities in
these states. In some states, minorities are considered a ‘fifth column’ and security
considerations rather than the concerns of liberal democracy appear to affect the ways these
states treat or deal with these minorities.India’s commitment to secularism and democracy is
under increasing stress today. The growing curtailment of fundamental rights of speech and
expression, continuous curfew and the blacking out of various media including the Internet in
Kashmir, the use of the deadly pellet-gun whose victims have included numerous women and
children, the controversies over Bharat Mata, nationalism and anti-nationalism in which various
academics have been involved and even faced suspension, the rows in JNU and Hyderabad
University all speak of the overall trampling of freedoms of life, assembly or liberty. In the
midst of this, we had a recent Supreme Court judgment that by a slim majority held that
elections in a democracy are a secular exercise and that seeking votes in the name of religion,
caste or community amounted to corrupt practice and could lead to the disqualification of a
person thus elected. These contradictory shifts speak of a nation at a critical point in its history
and what happens here will have implications for other South Asian countries as well, which is
in any case also contending with their own current predicaments over terror, discrimination
against minorities, religious conflicts and similar issues.
In South Asia, a preference for sons means that the girl child must struggle twice as hard to
survive and fulfill her potential. If the girl child manages to overcome health issues and gets a
basic education, it is unlikely she will escape child marriage in the region, 1 in 2 girls are
married before the age of 18. According to UNICEF , Bangladesh has the highest rate of child
marriage at 52 percent, followed by India at 47 percent, Nepal at 37 percent, and Afghanistan at
33 percent. Although Bhutan is a middle-income country, it still has a high rate of women
giving birth before the age of 18.Huge disparities by region, caste, class, and income affect the
use of maternal and child health services in South Asia. The young age at which many girls first
become pregnant – combined with their poor education, inadequate decision-making power and
poor control over resources . The region has the second highest number of maternal deaths
worldwide.Girls are systematically disadvantaged across the region as structural inequalities
and the low status of women affect their rights. Social norms in South Asia prioritize a son
receiving higher education, so the girl child often loses out on continuing her education. This is
seen in the stark differences in the girl-boy ratio in secondary level classrooms across the
region. Women make up less than five percent of the police force and less than 10 percent of
judges in South Asia – reflecting the strength of social norms and the disparity in justice
systems.Both girls and boys are affected by the prevalence of violence, sexual abuse and
harassment in South Asia e.g Zainab Murder case. Only four countries (Sri Lanka, India, Nepal
and Bangladesh) in South Asia have laws prohibiting domestic violence. Patriarchal societal
norms weaken the participation of women and children in family and community decision-
making, especially adolescent girls. This reduces their ability to demand fulfillment of their
rights to education, health and protection. It is a need of South Asian organization take
initiative against violation of human rights in the region and work for the development and
brain storm of the people of this region.
Similarly , the process of (re)constructing their identities in an alien society, South Asians have
tended to give to religion a significant importance. This salience of religion owes as much to
the dislocation and the stigmatization engendered by the migration experience as to the local
context, the United States, who, while promoting a policy of multiculturalism, sees religion as
an ‘acceptable’ identity marker. Drawing on this process, this article examines the implications
on the inter-ethnic relationships, in particular between Hindus and Muslims (both Indian and
Pakistani), as two opposite and competing trends are underway: on the one hand, separate, if
not confrontational, Hindu and Muslim identities are arising, while on the other hand, a South
Asian identity, ignoring the borders of Partition, is shaping up. The issues of identity
reconstruction and community formation among South Asians in a given diaspora context, the
United States. It focuses more specifically on the relationships between Hindus and Muslims,
as this issue is of particular interest for several reasons. The numbers have dramatically
increased over the years ever since they first migrated in the wake of the liberalization of
American immigration policies in the 1960s: according to the 2000 census, Indians are
estimated to be around 1.7 million in the US, of which about 65% were Hindus, hence a lower
proportion than that in India,and 10% to 15% were Muslims. For Pakistanis, the figures vary
between 400, 000 to 600, 000.
The status of women in South Asian societies is vary from place to place. In Afghanistan ,
During the rule of the Taliban women were treated worse than in any other time. They were
forbidden to work, leave the house without a male escort, or seek medical help from a male
doctor, and they were forced to cover themselves from head to toe, even covering their eyes.
Women who were doctors and teachers were forced to leave their work and sit at home, and
girls were forbidden to go to school as a result of the prevalent ultraconservative policies of
that period.Since the present regime came to power in 2001, the political and cultural position
of Afghan women has shown improvement to some extent. A robust policy framework has been
put in place by the government for the welfare of women. Notable among the core strategic
documents that make up this framework are the Afghanistan Compact, Afghanistan National
Development Strategy (ANDS), and National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan
(NAPWA). These developments have been successful in keeping the issue of women’s
empowerment high on the country’s development agenda. Simliarly in Pakistan in Pashtoons
and Baloch tribes women face violation where as at Punjab side women are free to doing jobs
business outing etc , at South Punjab women face domestic and social evils same condition in
Sindh. In India or Bangladesh same condition of Pakistan in some part of country women are
free to do anything and in some states they face violation. In this region women need freedom
to fulfill their desires but the cultural norms always come infront of them. While when the
women come out of their homes they will be settle and comfortable in multiculturalism.
According to report of Nestle women work better than men if they get full opportunities, So it
is a need of time of the region that share culture people of one country to another to develop
strong relationship for betterment of the whole South Asia.
When talking about Islamic militancy on the north-west frontier, the objective is to understand
the conceptual framework by which movements of this description were driven. Muslim
militancy on the frontier can provide clues to under-standing the mechanism of the fusion of
politics and religion within Islam, or, more specifically, within South Asian Islam. The root
cause of Islam activism in this region was trying to position themselves within a triangular
reference scheme of (1) the Islamic doctrine, (2) the western constitutional reforms project
pursued by the colonial British government in India and (3) the nationalist movement led by
Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru from the Indian National Congress, with the latter,
through Gandhi, drawing substantially on Hindu ethics and Unitarian religious beliefs. ue
reality of the Indian constitutional reforms in terms of limitations and conditions imposed upon
India fell considerably short of the radical demands of Indian nationalists who wanted a fully
responsible government elected by a parliament based on adult franchise. Tue acts of 1919 and
1935, reforming the British-lndian constitution, nevertheless broadened and strengthened
western political institutions and structures. Indian Muslims constituted the largest religious
minority in India, comprising twenty-one percent of the population. Their impact on political
life and on society increased further by way of clustered settlement in certain areas where they
constituted the majority, i.e. Punjab, the North-West Frontier Province, and Bengal in British-
India, and among the !larger principalities, Kashmir and Hyderabad. However, centers of
Islamic learning and culture were located in the United Provinces, the largest and most
populous province up to today, where Muslims made up a minority of 15 per cent.10 Based on
the comprehensive interpretation of Islam as deen, i.e. way of life, instead of the narrow
approach as mazhab, or religion, politics were supposed to form part of Islamic doctrine by
implication. But it was not formulated as a separate concept. The basic root cause of Islam
activism was to show that Muslims and Hindu were the separate nation in all aspects of life.
The North-West Frontier (present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) region of the British Indian
Empire was a difficult area to conquer in South Asia, strategically and militarily. It remains the
western frontier of present-day Pakistan, extending from the Pamir Knot in the north to the
Koh-i-Malik Siah in the west, and separating the modern Pakistani frontier regions of North-
West Frontier Province (renamed as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Federally Administered Tribal
Areas and Balochistan from neighboring Afghanistan in the west. The borderline between is
officially known as the Durand Line and divides Pashtun inhabitants of these provinces from
Pashtuns in eastern Afghanistan. The two main gateways on the North West Frontier are the
Khyber and Bolan Passes. Since ancient times, the Indian subcontinent has been repeatedly
invaded through these northwestern routes. With the expansion of the Russian Empire into
Central Asia in the twentieth century, stability of the Frontier and control of Afghanistan
became cornerstones of defensive strategy for British India. Much of the Frontier was occupied
by Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century, and then taken over by the East India Company when
it annexed the Punjab in 1849. Between 1849 and 1947 the military history of the frontier was a
succession of punitive expeditions against offending Pashtun (or Pathan) tribes, punctuated by
three wars against Afghanistan. Many British officers who went on to distinguished command
in the First and Second World Wars learnt their soldiering on the North-West Frontier, which
they called the Grim. Above all insurgencies invader did not change the culture of this region.
In the 1920's Muslim unrest on the Frontier and elsewhere in India took its root from a number
of earlier political campaigns in which Muslim political opinion was polarized. One such root
cause were the wars lead by Turkey or affecting it, such as the Turko-Italian war and the Balkan
wars, and more significantly, the beginning of World War I in 1914. Attacks on Turkey were
taken very much to heart by Indian Muslims. Solidarity movements were started by those who
later played a prominent role in other forms of protest like Muhammad and Shaukat Ali.
Germany raised its hopes of becoming a potential ally in defeating British rule in India.
Another root cause inspiring Muslim political mobilization was, no doubt, the strengthening of
the Indian nationalist movement which concluded a strategic, albeit short-Lived, pact between
Hindu and Muslim forces at a conference in Lucknow in 1916. Afghanistan played a central
role in these affairs. Its struggle for greater independence from the British became another
Muslim cause on the Frontier, all the more since Afghanistan supported close relations with
many Pakhtun tribes on the Indian side by paying regular allowances to some of their chiefs.
The fundamental changes in Bolshevik Russia also captured the imagination of Islamic
activists, particularly between 1917 and 1923, when pan-Islamic schemes banked for a while
on support from Russia against the British, and even more after the Bolshevik success against
the allied armies in the civil war, in which Britain also played a certain role. lt was typical that
Maulana Muhammad lrfan declared at a meeting for the muhajirin in Abbottabad.
The countries of South Asia is varies on the basic of their culture and identities. Every country
has its own multiple cultural heritage base on religion , economics, tribes or traditions. Pakistan
is a country of over 165 million people with diverse social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural
circumstances. The country came into existence after division of British Indian colony in 1947
on the basis of Islamic identity. Mostly language is the basis of ethnicity in Pakistan. Punjabi is
the predominant ethnic class which consists of 48% of Pakistan’s population. Sindhis form
about 12%, Siriki (a variant of Punjabi) forms 10%, Urdu speaking 8%, Balochis 3%, Hindko
2%, Brahui 1% and others 8%. 95% of Pakistan’s population is Muslim (75% Sunni Muslims
and 20% Shia Muslims). Among the remaining 5% Christians are the biggest religious minority
who are around 3% of the total population. Other religious groups include Hindus, Sikhs, and
Ahmadis. Pakistan is predominantly a rural society where over 65.5% of population lives in the
rural areas. Agriculture is the main employer of the labor force which employs over 43% of the
work force. The culture and social norms of Pakistan are defined by the agrarian nature of
society. Women in rural areas are economically more active as compared to their urban
counterparts. 16.5% rural women are economically active as compared to 7.3% of the urban
womenfolk. Women almost entirely manage the dairy and livestock sector in the rural areas of
Pakistan. Rural to urban migration, necessitated by growing poverty, has given rise to a number
of female headed households which is a new phenomenon in rural areas of Punjab because
traditionally women have always been treated as inferior to men and not involved in decision
making. Customs relating to marriage, death and festivals are heavily influences by Hindu
traditions. Sindhis are the second biggest ethnic group in Pakistan after Punjabis. In terms of
proximity to Hinduism they are even closer than Punjabis. A large number of Pakistani Hindus
live in Sindh province. Sindi culture is quite similar to Punjabis where they have great respect
towards fellow human beings. Sindh also is the land of great mystics such as Sachal Sarmast,
Shah Abdul Latheef Bhitai and Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.Sindhis. Pushtuns living in the Khyber
Pukhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North Western Frontier Province) province trace their
roots to Afghanistan. The Pushtuns are bound by their tribal code known as the Pushtun Wali
(literally meaning the Pushtun way of life). Pushtun Wali has nine major components i.e.
courage, taking revenge, giving shelter, generosity to defeated, self respect, justice, hospitality,
tolerance and loyalty. The capital of Pushtuns of Pakistan, Peshawar is the melting pot of many
cultures and civilizations. Peshawar is a city that represents Indian, Afghan, Central Asian and
British civilizations at the same time. Pushtuns have produced great poets and mystics like
Rahman Baba, Khushaal Khan Khattak and Pir Baba, who have all propagated the message of
eternal love and adherence to Pushtun ways of life. Pushtuns are most affected by the rise of
extremism in recent years. Peshawar is the centre of global war on terrorism. Thousands of
Pushtuns have lost their lives in the war on either side of the extremist divide.Pushtun women
observe the most extreme form of sex segregation. Women are often not allowed in public life
and those who move outside their homes are covered from head to toe. Women have limited
role in agricultural activities. Their role is limited to work inside their homes. Pushtun women
become more influential and independent as they grow older. Pushtun way of dispute resolution
is through a consultative process known as Jirga. Baluchs live in the Baluchistan province of
Pakistan. They have a nomadic culture as barring a few places Baluchistan is a barren area.
Water is scarce and the only means of sustenance is sheep and camel raring. Women and men
work alike with herds of sheep and goat. Baluchs also resolve their disputes through the jirga
mechanism but the Baluch jirga. The people of every identity is work under their heritage but
also at national and international level as one nation.
Indian Culture is one of the oldest cultures in the world. India had an urban civilization even
during the Bronze age. The Indus Valley Civilization (Harappan Civilization) dates back to
3300 BC – 1300 BC.Distinct cultures that are different from each other co-exist together in a
single country. Thus, In India there is unity amidst vast cultural diversity. The way people live
in India is reflected its culture.Unity in Diversity: India is a land of unity in diversity where
people of different sects, caste and religion live together. Secularism: The word secularism
means equality, impartiality, etc. towards all religion. India is a secular country, which means,
equal treatment of all the religions present in India.The tradition of Indians are touching feet of
elders: Indian tradition has rich cultural values. In India, younger show great respect to their
elders. Namaste: People greet each other by saying “Namaste” while joining their hands.
“Namaste” means “Hello”. Fasting: Many Hindus follow the custom of fasting during any
religious occasion like Maha-Shivratri,, Diwali, Karvachauth, etc. Wives go on fasting for their
Husband’s long life in many occasions like “Karvachauth”, etc.Many people belonging to
Muslim faith go for fasting for around 30 days during the month of Ramazan.India is birth
place of four major religions, such as, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism.Other
religions exist as minorities here, including Abrahamic religions.India is called a land of
diversity, i.e., people belonging to almost every faith can be found in India. Many religions
coexist in India such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity,
Zoroastrians, Judaism and many more. People of all religions live together with great
peace.India is home to numerous languages, including Sanskrit which is one of the oldest
languages in the world. Other languages such as Hindi are commonly spoken throughout the
Indian subcontinent, with regional variations. As India is a land of diversity, different types of
languages are found across different places in India. Each area has their own languages and
people like to speak in their mother language. There are innumerable speakers as well as
innumerable languages prevailing in India. The prominent languages in India besides English
and Hindi are Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi and many more.There
are different types of festivals celebrated in India with joy and happiness. Different people
celebrate different festivals as per their religion, caste and culture. People celebrate National
festivals like Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanti. They also celebrate
religious festivals like Diwali, Holi, Durga Puja, Dussehra, Vasant Panchami, Eid, Guru Nanak
Jayanti, Mahavir Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Christmas, New Year and many more. Young
generation also celebrate Mothers day, Fathers Day, Friendship day, etc.Art, literature, theater
and film (including the world-famous Bollywood films), and architecture have flourished in
India for centuries and they continue to flourish today. The Ramayana is one of the oldest
known epic works of literature.Rangoli are the art generally made by the female members of
the family. It is an art of colors.India is rich in architecture and it is one of the great
achievements of India. From ages, India has great number of architecture like Rock-cut temples
of Mahabalipuram, temples of Thanjavur, Kanchipuram and many more.
Similarly, Bangladesh has ratified the UNESCO Convention 2005 on the protection and
promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions in 2007. Bangladesh is a unique example of
multicultural country where along with the 98% Bengali population there are at least 45 small
ethnic groups who possess different cultures like their own language, food habit, dress, music
etc.In the Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh it is clarified that the State will
safeguard the right of practice and development of all cultural trends of all the people in its
territory regardless of caste, religion, origin, colour, gender, etcBangladesh has been working
on protection and promotion of Cultural diversity for long through different activities and
programs. A cultural policy in this regard was also approved in 2006. Under the Ministry of
Cultural Affairs there are several departments such as Department of Archaeology and
Museum, National Archives of Bangladesh, Department of Public Library etc. apart from
autonomous institutions like Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangladesh
National Museum and Bangladesh Folk Art and Crafts Foundation. They are engaged in
implementing the government programmes as well as activities formulated under the
convention of Cultural Diversity. Bangladesh Shishu Academy under the Ministry of Women
and Children Affairs, Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) under the
Ministry of Industries also play significant roles for this purpose.Under the approved Cultural
policy, Bangladesh Government has taken remarkable initiatives to implement the agendas of
the convention within and outside its territory, legal frameworks have been developed viz,.
Bangla Academy Ordinance 1978, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Act 1989, International
Mother Language Institute Act 2010, Small Ethnic Groups Cultural Organizations Act 2010
etc. Besides, in the National Education Policy 2010 and National Women Policy 2011 the
promotion and protection of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in Bangladesh have been
ensured. Through different Government agencies or organizations Bangladesh has done some
other important projects and events to protect and promote Cultural diversity.Bangladesh has
also played significant role for the ratification of the UNESCO Convention aiming at the
protection and promotion of diversity of cultural expressions of all the ethnic groups.
Bangladesh, in association with UNESCO, organized the Cultural Diversity Ministerial Forum
of the Asia Pacific Region in May 2012 in Dhaka. Cultural Exchange programs with different
countries of the world are being regularly organized.After the ratification, Government is
consolidating endeavors for the protection, promotion and preservation of all cultural
expressions in its territory and at international level. Awareness building and programs on the
actual content and implementation of the convention is being undertaken.
Although the culture of Sri Lanka mixes modern elements with traditional aspects and is
known for its regional diversity. Sri Lankan culture has long been influenced by the heritage of
Theravada Buddhism passed on from India, and the religion's legacy is particularly strong in
Sri Lanka's southern and central regions. South Indian cultural influences are especially
pronounced in the northernmost reaches of the country. The history of colonial occupation has
also left a mark on Sri Lanka's identity, with Portuguese, Dutch, and British elements having
intermingled with various traditional facets of Sri Lankan culture. Additionally, Indonesian
culture has also influenced certain aspects of Sri Lankan culture. Culturally, Sri Lanka,
particularly the Sinhalese people, possesses strong links to both India and Southeast Asia.The
country has a rich artistic tradition, with distinct creative forms that encompass music, dance,
tand the visual arts. Sri Lankan culture is internationally associated with cricket, a distinct
cuisine, an indigenous holistic medicine practice, religious iconography such as the Buddhist
flag, and exports such as tea, cinnamon, and gemstones, as well as a robust tourism industry.
Sri Lanka has longstanding ties with the Indian subcontinent that can be traced back to
prehistory. Sri Lanka's population is predominantly Sinhalese with sizable Sri Lankan Moor,
Sri Lankan Tamil, Indian Tamil, Sri Lankan Malay and Burgher minorities.
However, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (former Kingdom of Nepal) is a rich
country in term of cultural heritage. Nepalese culture represents a fusion of Indo-Aryan and
Tibeto-Mongolian influences, the result of a long history of migration, conquest, and trade. The
Nepalese culture has many symbols from Hindu and Buddhist sources. This multi-dimensional
cultural heritage encompasses within itself the cultural diversities of various ethnic, tribal, and
social groups inhabiting different altitudes, and it manifests in various forms: music and dance;
art and craft; folklores and folktales; languages and literature; philosophy and religion; festivals
and celebrations; and foods and drinks. Important among symbols for the nation as a whole are
the national flower and bird, the rhododendron and Danfe (Lophophorous); the flag; and the
crossed Kukhris (curved knives) of the Gurkhas. In nationalistic rhetoric the metaphor of a
garland with hundreds of flowers is used to symbolize national unity amid cultural diversity. In
Nepal they believe that ‘unity in diversity’ and it is the Nepalese speciality.Situated between
two giant countries- India and China, Bhutan might be a small country, yet it has a strong
cultural identity and unity. Its rich and unique culture is reflected through the magnificent
architecture, dresses, archery, traditional ceremonies and the everyday way of life of the
Bhutanese. They strongly believe that protection of their unique culture would assist in
protecting their sovereignty, due to which Bhutanese have managed to guard its culture and
traditions from outside influence and have not seen their culture diminished in any way.Bhutan
still has the culture of wearing the traditional dress as a formal dress in any public places
including schools and offices which is called Gho for men and Kira for women. Similarly, on
birth names, the Bhutanese uses two traditional names selected by the child’s parents or
grandparents rather including their family name. Regarding eating habits, the Bhutanese have a
unique culture of eating with their legs crossed on the wooden floors and food being served
first to the eldest member of the family. Furthermore, one of the most unique practice of
Bhutanese include the installation of prayer flags on the hillside as well as on the roofs of the
houses to offer prayers for all human beings and the god of the locality.
Similarly, the culture of Afghanistan has persisted for over three millennia, tracing record to at
least the time of the Achaemenid Empire in 500 BCE. Afghanistan translates to "Land of the
Afghans" or "Place of Afghans" in the nation's official languages, Dari and Pashto.It is mostly a
tribal society with different regions of the country having its own subculture. Nearly all
Afghans follow Islamic traditions, celebrate the same holidays, dress the same, consume the
same food, listen to the same music and are multi-lingual to a certain extent. In the southern
and eastern region, as well as western Pakistan which was historically part of Afghanistan, the
Pashtuns live according to the Pashtun culture by following Pashtunwali (meaning "the way of
the Pashtuns").The western, northern, and central regions of Afghanistan are influenced by
neighboring Central Asian and Persian cultures. Some of the non-Pashtuns who live in close
proximity with Pashtuns have adopted Pashtunwali in a process called Pashtunization (or
Afghanization) while some Pashtuns and others have learned to speak Dari-Persian.
The South Asian societies try to safe its culture first then state. As these countries has strong
cultural identities but on the othe other hand these countries also have bilateral relationship
with each others. India Bhutan are different in their cultures but both countries enjoy bilaterial
realtionship among themselves. During the conference on Impact of Culture on Bilateral
Realtionship Mr. Sangay Chophel, in his presentation “Bhutan-India Relations: Does culture
matter?” argued that for Bhutan, it was necessary to have good relations with both India and
China. Peace and security has always been the focus of Bhutan’s foreign policy. Bhutan’s
cultural identity is important and is also part of the nine points of Gross National Happiness.
The Constitution of Bhutan considers culture as an evolving dynamic force which the state has
to promote. Bhutanese culture is composed of Buddhist identity, competence in the mother
language, knowledge of art and craft, and manifestation of various views. In Bhutan about 20
dialects are spoken which also includes Nepali. The national dress is the symbol of unity
without which the nation lacks meaning. In Bhutan, culture is largely shaped by religion
(Buddhism). Before Buddhism, the bonism culture (worshipping of animals and nature) was
widespread. The first temple is being constructed in the capital city of Thimpu now. One can
also see the film industry growing. Bollywood certainly has an influence in the country. Culture
is of course one of the factors in Indo-Bhutan relations. This cultural foundation brings together
many people from both the countries including writers and artists. Culture can be used as a
unifying factor to build bridges. In Bhutan, economic progress can be witnessed. Nehru had
paid a visit to Bhutan and India had financed completely the first Five-Year Plan of Bhutan. It
still funds the Five Year Plan. As far as Bhutan is concerned, tourism is the main reason for
which foreigners visit the country. However, it has very good and special relations with India.
Same as following countries in the region also share bilateral relation on the basis of
multiculturalism. Like Indo-Afghan relations , Pak-Afghan Relations etc. the only need of time
to preserve the nations from each other on the basis of ethnic issues. There is a need to uplift
the socioeconomic development of the region instead of clash.

South Asian societies are based on their culture. There are multiple ethnic groups and tribes that
are being recognized on the basis of their identity. Basically there is diversity in all these states
on the basis of traditions of tribes with their settlement of institution. The tribes or ethnic
groups are base on the religious beliefs. Every state has its own culture i.e culture of Pakistan
is different from other South Asian states in the form of government, living standards, politics,
religion or structure of the settlement. But these states have bilateral or multilateral relations
with each other due to its survival or create hegemony in this region. It is a need of time to
share national culture one country into another country for the development of this region.