Culture Diversity between Saudi and Indian Cultures - Assignment Example

Saudi and Indian Cultures and Background Saudis are citizens and people of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia while Indians are from India. There are many similarities as well as differences in their: traditions, religion, education and family setup, physical and social processes. India has a bigger population compared to Saudi Arabia. According to Hardy, due to its high population, India is more diverse than Saudi Arabia (65). India also has many religions as compared to Saudi Arabia which is highly dominated by the Islam. In addition, India consist many tribes that speak different languages unlike in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This report gives in details the major differences, similarities, as well as, the key observations made during an interview with an Indian. The Indian culture is probably one of the oldest and most unique cultures. Various parts of India, the south, north and north east have distinct cultures of their own. From the interview one would get to learnt that in the various states of India, almost every state has created its own cultural niche. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is also a rich culture which has mainly been shaped by the Islamic religion. Trade has also played a great role in enriching Arabian culture ever since the ancient time, as well as, its Bedouin traditions. In India religion is the way of life. Their religious beliefs and practices play a huge role in the culture and traditions of the Indian people (Hardy 69). However, the Indian society has really not changed. On the contrary, the Saudi society has gone through many developments over the years. The people of Saudi Arabia have with time dropped their traditions and values, their customs, their style of dressing and hospitality and adopted the modern way of doing things (Hardy 73). On the other hand, Indians up to date, still upholds their style of dressing, performing of daily rituals and customs. The greatest similarity about the two is that their cultures are based mainly on the religion. For Indians it is purely religion while for Saudis it is Islam and Arab culture intertwined. Both Indian and Saudis are very welcoming to strangers, friends and family. In addition, Indians have many religions which include: Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Islam, Christianity and Zoroastrian religions, while, Islam is the main religion for the people of Saudi Arabia. There exist a small percentage of Christians and Hindus who are primarily noncitizens from other countries (Hardy 77). In addition, to that Hindus are not allowed to worship in Saudi Arabia. Conversion from Islam to another religion could result to a death sentence as punishment. However, in India, Hinduism is the main religion with over eight percent of the population being Hindu. Buddhism is the second most popular religion whereas Islam is the leading religion in India. Hinduism is also known as the everlasting religion or “Sanatan Dharma” in India. Hinduism rests on the belief that animal and human spirit return to earth in various forms. Hindus are divided into hierarchical classes according to wealth of families and individuals. On the other hand, Buddhism first began in India and spread through central, east and south Asia. The Buddhism philosophy is based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, Lord Buddha, who was a prince from the Sakya tribe. It started due to the socio-economic conditions in India. Lord Buddha left his home to find a reason for human suffering. That way, he meditated and attained knowledge and came up with the fundamental principles on Buddhism. Buddhists believe in practice of good actions which train and purify the mind, hence ending the cycle of the existence of suffering (Hardy 83). The other religions in India are the minority. They have either been absorbed by the other religions or they have very few members. Regarding education and education system in the two cultures, Indian education system was the Gurukula system of education in ancient times while Saudi Arabians studied Islamic based education. Gurukula system of learning was mainly about nature and life. It focused on the Indian culture and religion. However, the current education system in India has four levels which includes lower primary, upper primary, high secondary and higher secondary (Hardy 91). In Saudi Arabia, the study of Islam has always remained at the core. However, the modern Saudi educational system has added diverse fields in science and art to their system. This contributes highly in preparing the citizens of Saudi Arabia for work and life in the global economy. The main difference between the Saudi and the Indian educational system is that the Saudis still teach religion as a main art of education. On the other hand, religions of India are no longer the centre of education in India. Additionally, education in Saudi Arabia is easily accessible to all citizens. The system is open and it offers free education, books and health services for students. On the contrary, in India education was initially only available to the children of the wealthy families that lived in the major cities. However, religious education was available to all those who were willing. Therefore, due to this social stratification in India, different teachings were given to members of different castes (Hardy 97). The other major issue that the interview focused on was family. On family issues, Indians consider family as a unit that must be strong, flexible, stable and enduring. The joint family in India consists of three to four generations living together in the same home. The head of the family is the oldest male in the family. He is respected due to his experience, good judgment and seniority. He sets the rules for the family, controls family finances and acts as a judge in case of family disputes. Similarly, family is also the most important social institution in Saudi Arabia. It is considered as the basis of identity and status of an individual. In Saudi Arabia, men were allowed to marry up to four wives, as well as, be the sole custodians of the children. In addition to that, divorce was very common. For the polygamous, there was a separate dwelling unit for each wife, her children and the husband. However, the elites or the western oriented do not practice polygamy anymore (Hardy 98). In conclusion, in life one will now and the encounter people of different religions and cultures. Therefore, one should always show appreciation and respect to the other individual regardless his or her culture. Such a case should not be a time or opportunity to intimidate and criticize others because it is every clear that, as much as, there are differences so are the similarities. Therefore, accept others as they are, enables one to learn more from and about the other individual. Doing this will not only bring unity but growth and development as well. For instance, from the interview Saudi are in a position to learn more about Indians which may end up bringing them even closer. It is also clear that the Saudis and Indians have a lot to share and learn from each other. They have interacted in business and therefore they can also interact when it comes to their culture. Work cited Hardy, F. The Religious Culture of India. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2005. 39-99. Print. Read More