Society is a group consisting of individuals having diverse mindsets, ambitions, and demands.

It
provides a shape to the growth of an Individual. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher has given his
opinion on a person’s importance to the society and the changes that a society makes to that
person. He considers that a good citizen is a good person and the good person doesn’t need to be
in a society to prove his nature. People of a society might have diverse opinions on a subject
matter and it is not necessary that all of them must hold onto a same opinion or the opinion that a
leader provides. A society is bound to go through many changes time and again. Modification is
one thing that cannot be ruled out from the lives of people and that leads to changes in the
society because the society is all about the existence of people and their ideology. Considering
the changes in lifestyle, thought process, work life of people that come about in the Indian
society, we can presume the implementation of modernization and westernization are the reasons
for such change. Modernisation is one such word which is being surrounded by ambiguity while
interpreted, whereas westernisation is about the adaptation of western values.

The term Modernization is inclusive as it takes everything within its scope and every aspect that
is open to advancements leads to modernization. On the other hand, westernization is a one of
the stages in process of modernization. M.N Srinivasan, an Indian Sociologist considers that the
200 years of British ruling in India lead to westernization that leading to the changes brought
about in the Indian society and its culture. Over the years, India is working on infusing
technology in almost every field. It changes the lifestyle of the people living in the country.
Agriculture is one of the major occupations in India and though the country is adopting a decade
old advancement techniques of the developed countries, it is to be considered as modernization.
In modernization, scientific technologies are introduced into the society for a better living and
some consider that modernization is what making us lazy and weak and where as the majority
think modernizations lets us to indulge in an experience that amuses over time but never
disappoints. From Bioscopes to movie theatres, the audience have seen movies in the modern
way available in the market and that includes OTT service, the newest and one of the most
preferable platforms to watch movies. The film “Avatar” has become the highest grosser
worldwide(until 2019) due to the 3D technology that amazed the audience and made them feel
like they are in the film and made them move their hands in front of the screen to capture the
objects in the film. Modernization in the field of sports is one other thing which is being done
constantly and after the initiation of DRS in cricket, it made millions of Indians realise that non-
adoption of technology in the previous decade has come at the cost of some prestigious victories
on foreign soil. Not just in the field of entertainment, modernization has been done to the very
basic practices in our day-to-day life. The toothpaste we use now comes in various flavours and
the soap that we use kills 99.9% of germs compared to the coconut fibre that our ancestors used.
From bullock carts carrying passengers to the metro service availability in major cities, the
public transport is modernized to provide comfort and feasibility to its consumers.

Westernization is the adoption of different lifestyles i.e. behaviour, working style, thought
process and culture of the western countries. It is often talked in India that people of the west are
broad minded and doesn’t let others decide their own life choices. The culture restrictions on an
individual and the sophisticated livelihood followed in the western society is what attracts an
individual towards adopting the culture of western societies. Westernization isn’t a vague term
and moreover it doesn’t carry any good or evil. It doesn’t limit its offering at culture as the term
is inclusive and occurs at various levels of lifestyle such as Ideology, practice of Institutions and
usage of technology. Before the British landed in India in 1608 for the purpose of trade, Indian
society didn’t have a cultural diversity as the country was divided into various kingdoms and
ruled by kings who have a discrete opinion on adopting different cultures and practicing
institutions. Religious practices in the states of India have been evolving with minor changes
over the years. A marriage ceremony in Gujarat isn’t the same as followed in Telugu states but
the religion that lies beneath makes us to see the parallelism in the practice. During the British
raj, people felt the oppression and they considered the Britishers as evil and are superior to them
in all aspects. Even though the Vedas and Upanishads provide a greater knowledge on science,
medicine and livelihood of an individual, the Indians felt that it is high time to adopt
westernization, not in culture but in education. The vast history of British colonization has
frightened the Indians and this is what motivated them to pursue education in foreign countries to
get a grip on the happenings outside the country and what is needed for India to attain
independence. Since then, westernization has started in India on a slow pace but made a huge
impact on livelihood of the people. Over the past few decades, Indian culture has undergone
many changes and majority of inhuman activities are being abolished in all religions for a better
living. People lean towards westernization as it offers a more comfortable and suitable culture
which doesn’t have any contradictions with the modernization. Westernization has made it all the
way towards the rural areas as well. 1 st of January is celebrated in every nook and corner of the
country just the way it is celebrated in western countries. Valentines Day is another celebrated
day in India though it is being opposed by various religious groups for extreme rendition of love
on that particular day.